"Let's be honest, this is a country that doesn't talk about money."
Financial planner and presenter Eoin McGee is talking about his new show, due to be released early next year, which he believes will be a turning point for how we talk about money.
The new series will see the How to be Good with Money host investigate and solve consumer issues alongside Conor Pope, Consumer Affairs Correspondent and Price Watch Editor with the Irish Times, and Amy Molloy, Social Affairs Correspondent with the Irish Independent.
"You can sit at a dinner table with 10 people in a house in the States somewhere and they'll talk about their money and they'll talk about the things that have gone right and more importantly, they'll talk about the things that have gone wrong. This is a TV show that's going to get a country that doesn't talk about money, talking about money."
The trio will comb through applications from people who have struggled with everything from scams and getting ripped off, to trying to get a refund and battling with builders.
"We're not great at sharing, particularly when things go wrong because there's an element of, oh God, that must have been my fault and I don't want to get embarrassed", he says. "I think what this show should do is it should be a case of, oh, did you see that show last night? Wasn't that great? That actually happened me, and this is how I dealt with it."
McGee shares one example of a consumer issue he came across recently: "I had a query a couple of weeks ago where somebody is seven years cancer free. And typically when you're five years cancer free, you can get life cover. And this person is struggling now because they can't get the life cover and it's affecting their ability to get a mortgage.
"And you're going this person has been through the absolute ringer. They've had cancer, they've beaten cancer, they're back on their feet, they're trying to move on with their life. And the Life companies are just saying, sorry, door is closed.
"That type of stuff can be really not just financial, it's incredibly emotional."
With winter setting in and the cost of living on the rise still, this time of year is a particularly challenging one for people and families struggling to make ends meet. The threat of being scammed, or the fear of being stuck in an expensive contract, is a real one.
A key part of McGee's vision for the show is educating people on how to deal with these situations in a way that is respectful as well as practical. "I suppose one of the problems that people have is oftentimes when you hit a problem, an issue, or you start engaging with a company because something's gone wrong, it's often the first time you've done it", he says.
"And there are people out there like Connor Pope or Amy that are doing this all day, every day. This is what they're doing. They've got experience in it. And sometimes you just need a bit of a helping hand.
"It's also about holding people to account, as in the companies. These companies sometimes will try and pawn you off and sometimes they'll get away with it. And that's just not fair, is the honest thing."
Many of us will recognise the feeling of being ripped off, or worrying that you have been, and oftentimes an unpleasant experience like that isn't to do with the money, McGee says.
"What I'm finding with the theme of it is that people just feel like I'm not letting this go because it's the principle of the thing", he says, adding that people feel "wronged".
That said, McGee stresses that being respectful is still the best way forward. "I don't believe for one second that screaming and shouting down the phone is going to get anyone anywhere and the person on the other end of the phone doesn't deserve it either", he says. "But if you deal with this in a calm, professional manner, you have a much better chance of getting the results you're looking for.
"What I will say is sometimes actually the company aren't in the wrong and it's unfair of what we're looking for. If we think it's unfair, we think that we've been treated badly or something should have been dealt with in a different way, that's okay, that's how we feel and we're entitled to our opinion. But it's not always the case that the companies are out there trying to rip us off or trying to pull the wool over our eyes."
If you have a consumer story or issue you would like help with, email consumer@indiepics.ie with your story and contact details.
